inferno
noun
in·fer·no
in-ˈfər-(ˌ)nō 
plural infernos
: a place or a state that resembles or suggests hell
the inferno of war
Examples of inferno in a Sentence
By the time help arrived, the fire had grown to a raging inferno.
the intense heat of the raging inferno repeatedly drove back the firefighters
Recent Examples on the Web
Deadliest blaze since 1948 The fire is Hong Kong's deadliest since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze, and has prompted comparisons to London's Grenfell Tower inferno, which killed 72 people in 2017.
—
Jessie Pang, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
The deadly inferno that tore through a high-rise housing estate in Hong Kong has killed at least 128 people, authorities said Friday, with some 200 people still missing.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 28 Nov. 2025
Unlike meteorites, which endure the destructive inferno of atmospheric entry, Bennu’s materials arrived on Earth untouched.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Nov. 2025
Hong Kong — In just a few short hours on Wednesday afternoon, what began as a small fire on the first floor of an apartment building swelled into a raging inferno that consumed seven high-rise towers on a Hong Kong public housing estate.
—Samra Zulfaqar, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
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Jessie Pang, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
The deadly inferno that tore through a high-rise housing estate in Hong Kong has killed at least 128 people, authorities said Friday, with some 200 people still missing.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 28 Nov. 2025
Unlike meteorites, which endure the destructive inferno of atmospheric entry, Bennu’s materials arrived on Earth untouched.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Nov. 2025
Hong Kong — In just a few short hours on Wednesday afternoon, what began as a small fire on the first floor of an apartment building swelled into a raging inferno that consumed seven high-rise towers on a Hong Kong public housing estate.
—Samra Zulfaqar, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inferno
Cite this Entry
“Inferno.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inferno. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inferno
noun
in·fer·no
in-ˈfər-nō
plural infernos
: a place or state that resembles or suggests hell especially in great heat or raging fire
Etymology
from Italian inferno "underworld, hell," from Latin infernus (same meaning), from earlier infernus (adjective) "lying beneath, in the lower regions"
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